Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Alec Bush
English 12
Messer 3
12 March 2017
Why is obesity such a large issue in America? Purchasing fast food has become cheap
and easy, and extremely convenient while healthy food is expensive and tedious work. While
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healthy food tends to be more expensive, and requires a lot more effort and attention to prepare
than fast food. Farmers work hard to raise their crops, they put in many hours of manual labor to
make a profit, this causes the price of these crops to be very expensive in order for these farmers
to make a living. Fast food takes the easier route, although many claim to use fresh products it's
impossible to believe they do when the price is so cheap. For example, a pound of apples can
cost $2.60 while a Double Cheeseburger is sitting on the dollar menu at McDonalds (Food).
Most people are not looking to spend all their hard earned money on some expensive fruit and
vegetables when they can get a quick and cheap bite at any fast-food chain of their choice. Fast
food is easily accessible allowing Americans to make daily unhealthy food choices.
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Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970s...obesity is
widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. (Food). Obesity
continues to overrun our country and more than just the caucasian race; the hispanic and african-
americans tend to have more obese people than whites. Extreme obesity continues to be higher
among women at 8.3 percent compared to men at 4.4 percent, especially among black women
who have more than double the rates of extreme obesity as white and hispanic women. Black
women are at 16.4 percent with white women at 7.4 percent and hispanic at 7.6 percent (Ogden
et al., 2014). (Food). Being born into an obese family also does not help the issue, a child relies
almost completely on its parents and if the parents eat fast-food for every meal the child will
grow up eating junk and their health may not be their fault. Whether it is a persons choice or not,
obesity is a large problem in America and will only continue to grow if more awareness is not
Eating unhealthy starts from the young stages of life, Children are born with taste
preferences for foods that are sweet or salty. Though many young children are capable of limited
regulation of their food intake, when presented with large quantities of appealing foods, they are
unable to resist. Finally, restricting food choices or denying certain foods to children often results
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in overeating when the forbidden food is available and the parent is not around to act as a
control. (Eating). So starting from even the young days we are more open to unhealthy food
making it seem fine to grow up eating poorly. People usually tend to eat unhealthy because they
become depressed, they do not get enough sleep, or it is just the easiest and fastest way to access
food. From stress eaters to penny pinchers, people always have a reason to choose bad food.
Sometimes the mind does not think it is full so one continues to consume more and more food till
they are sick to their stomach. Majority of poor people are the ones who are more obese than the
higher class people in society. People with less money lean towards cheaper foods and the
opposite goes for higher class people (Obesity). The majority of people in America are on the
(Image)
Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. The count in obesity has doubled over
the past four decades. (Obesity) The more we eat unhealthy foods and gain weight lessen the
probability that we go out for a run or exercise at all. Today, we see many commercials and
advertisements that promote eating healthy and exercising, but the overwhelming amount of fast-
food available still cause people overweight andmake up the majority of the population in
America. Americas past has set genetics that naturally store fat when food is scarce, but with
food becoming so accessible now, fat just adds on top of fat. So this added fat is not used up and
continues to accumulate through the years. We no longer have to stalk and capture our dinner; we
can use the drive-through. (Obesity). Even though people may exercise, those who do normally
already eat healthy and are not the ones who need the exercise.. Food is available everywhere,
and most of it unhealthy. People are bombarded with food ads and it requires a lot of strength not
to fall victim to the temptation of a fast-food chain. Will power and focus are the two things you
need most in order to avoid poor eating choices. Be the thirty percent that is not overweight and
stop making unhealthy choices, and over consuming food.
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Works Cited
Carey, Kathy. "Changing Nutrition Standards: Eating In America." Montessori Life 17.2
(2005): 36-39. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
"Here's How Obesity Relates To Gender, Race And Income In The US [Charts]."
"Obesity and Socioeconomic Status in Adults: United States, 20052008." Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Dec.
Marks, Jennifer B. "Clinical Diabetes." Obesity in America: It's Getting Worse. American
"Overweight and Obesity in the U.S. Food Research & Action Center." Food Research
Action Center Overweight and Obesity in the US Comments. (FRAC) N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Mar. 2017